


Never Ever Give Up (Swing!)

by pink_cloud



Series: super junior not-office au [1]
Category: Super Junior
Genre: Gen, office(?) au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-24 05:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21332899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pink_cloud/pseuds/pink_cloud
Summary: Cho Kyuhyun, fresh out of college, needs a job, but alas, it is the 21st century economy.
Series: super junior not-office au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537846
Comments: 20
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first work of this AU, inspired by the Super Clap MV!

Name: Cho Kyuhyun

Age: 23

Bachelor of Computer Science, Kyunghee University

Work experience: N/A

“I’m sorry, but we cannot accept you. We require at least 20 hours of work experience,” says the interviewer.

“Thank you,” Kyuhyun sighs and stands up to leave. That was the final option on his list of jobs. Having graduated a month ago now, Kyuhyun has yet to find work that isn’t retail or catering, and his hope has been diminishing positively correlated with his choices.

As with almost every other day for the past month, Kyuhyun walks down the office building-lined streets, wearing a crisp white shirt, black trousers, black tie, and with briefcase in hand. He eyes the buildings and their endless glass windows, catching glimpses of the little cubicles inside occupied by people dressed similarly to him, endlessly typing away at their computers or scribbling on paperwork. Kyuhyun sighs. As dull as those jobs are, he needs one. He thought he would have a better chance at finding a job than many because of his Kyunghee credits, but no, he needs work experience, but how the hell is a man supposed to gather work experience if no one would let him work in the first place.

Now that his list has been exhausted, Kyuhyun decides on a new strategy: to just wander into whatever offices and ask them if they have any jobs available. If he gets lucky, someone might take him in. Not like he has any other choices, anyway. He’s not ready to go back to the cashier counter.

After a weary wait at a coffee shop and some more aimless walking, Kyuhyun decides to enter a small office building in a relatively prominent business neighbourhood. The glass doors slide open, and he walks up to the front desk.

Seated there, clicking and typing away at his computer with intense concentration is a young man about Kyuhyun’s age.  _ Shim Changmin _ , says the card pinned to his shirt.

“Excuse me,” Kyuhyun asks, trying to sound confident but not imposing, as usual. Changmin quickly presses a set of keys Kyuhyun recognises all too well and looks up. Kyuhyun tries not to smile.

“Yes, how can I help you?,” he asks, about as robotically as all the other desk clerks out there. He’s smiling a bit, though, which is rare.

“I’m looking for a job. I know there’s no sign or anything looking for employees, but do you perhaps have any availability? I’ll take anything,” he says politely, if a bit tiredly. Changmin looks at him, evidently used to these kinds of interactions.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we have any demand at the m-,” he begins, then pauses. “Actually, may I see your CV?,” he asks. Kyuhyun readily pulls out the plastic file from his briefcase and hands it over the counter to Changmin. After quickly scanning it, Changmin looks up at Kyuhyun, smiling visibly now.

“Computer Science, huh? I believe we are in need of someone for IT at the moment. I’ll direct you to HR,” he informs Kyuhyun pleasantly, then presses a number into the phone on his desk. “Yunho, I have someone who might be able to fill our IT space. Can you come down and take him to HR? Thanks.”

Kyuhyun lets out a massive sigh of relief and tries to keep his excitement in check. A few moments later, a tall man comes out of the elevator and takes him to another floor. They arrive at a small hallway, at the end of which is an office labeled “Park Jungsoo - Head of HR”. Yunho knocks a few times on the door, then opens it and leads Kyuhyun inside.

“Jungsoo-ssi, this is Kyuhyun-ssi. We thought you might want to talk to him about our IT position,” he casually informs the man inside the room, after which he leaves and closes the door behind him.

Jungsoo looks at Kyuhyun with a kind smile and gestures for him to sit down on the chair in front of his desk. He’s wearing a well-tailored blue pinstripe suit. It looks nice, but very expensive, Kyuhyun thinks. This place must pay well.

“Nice to meet you, Kyuhyun-ssi,” Jungsoo says, holding out a hand for Kyuhyun to shake. Jungsoo’s handshake is firm, but not aggressive. His hand is slightly calloused. “Can I get you some water?,” he asks in a light, easy-going, almost lilting voice. 

“Yes, please.”

Jungsoo stands up and walks over to the water cooler. He hands Kyuhyun a mug with the company’s logo on it. _14th Street LTD_, it says. Sitting back down again, Jungsoo asks,

“Are you looking to work in our IT department?,”

“Yes, sir. I have a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. From Kyunghee University,” he says politely. He leaves out the information on his work experience, or lack thereof. Jungsoo smiles.

“No need to be so formal. Kyunghee, huh? That’s impressive. Do you have any prior work experience?,” Jungsoo asks. There it is. Kyuhyun crosses his fingers and prays to all the gods he believes in and doesn’t.

“No. I graduated a month ago and have been job-hunting ever since. Didn’t have time for proper work while at school,” he says, trying to maintain a confident front. Jungsoo’s expression does not change. Kyuhyun likes to think he’s rather good at reading people, but Jungsoo is completely undecipherable.

“That’s alright,” Jungsoo says, and Kyuhyun almost goes into shock from relief. He’s not complaining, though.

“However, there is one problem,” Jungsoo continues, and Kyuhyun’s storm cloud returns in full force. Please God let me have this j-

“Are you okay with being the only person in the IT department?,” he asks. Kyuhyun stares. Then he tries not to. Success rate unknown. Jungsoo gives nothing away, but at least he doesn’t seem offended.

“I’m sorry?,” Kyuhyun says dumbly.

“We do not actually have an IT department,” Jungsoo says. “The truth is, none of us here are very tech-savvy,” he laughs a bit.

Kyuhyun relaxes. He can do this. He’s qualified. He’s skilled with IT.

“I’m fine with that,” he says, and the corners of Jungsoo’s eyes crinkle with a smile.

“I’m glad to hear. Welcome to 14th Street. You will start tomorrow as our brand new Head of IT. Congratulations!,” he says, holding his hand out to shake, and Kyuhyun is violently reminded of those MCs on TV.

After going through all the terms and conditions of his job and signing the paperwork, Kyuhyun leaves the office the way he came in. On the way out, he catches a glimpse of Changmin’s back and sees him once again hurriedly Alt+Tab-ing out of whatever it is he was doing. 

“How did it go?,” Changmin asks.

“I got it! I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning, Changmin-ssi,” he says joyfully. Changmin laughs.

“Call me Changmin. We’re the same age,” 

“Alright then, Changmin. Have a nice day,” Kyuhyun says, turning to leave, then turns around again. “Oh, by the way, add me on Starcraft. Here’s my ID,” he scribbles on his card and hands it to Changmin, who has the look of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Still stunned, Changmin takes the card and nods as Kyuhyun practically skips out of the building.

Once the doors close, Kyuhyun indulges in a small celebratory dance and runs home, more than ready to begin his first day on the job.


	2. Chapter 2

“Donghae-ssi, please don’t touch that,” Kyuhyun hurriedly says.

Donghae looks up from where he was walking over to Kyuhyun’s computer, which is currently testing the updated company website. This man may be Kyuhyun’s boss who’s also older than him, but Kyuhyun can’t help but feel he has to babysit him… He’s already broken one computer since Kyuhyun arrived, so he’s not taking any chances.

As Deputy Head of HR, Donghae regularly visits the office to check on everyone. He doesn’t talk much, but they all enjoy his company. Kyuhyun assumes he reports back to Jungsoo, because he hasn’t seen the Head since he got hired. Other than Jungsoo and Donghae, Kyuhyun has yet to meet any of the other executives, although he has taken a look at the board that states all their names, faces, and positions. They seem like an unassumingly respectable bunch. Not like he has much to go off of.

Donghae moves out of the way with a hint of disappointment on his face and Kyuhyun sits back down at his desk and goes back to work.

“What are you doing there, Kyuhyun-ssi?,” Donghae asks.

“I’m revamping the website. It used to be...pretty terrible,” Kyuhyun says matter-of-factly. “Am I really the first IT person you guys have had?,” he asks.

“Yeah, you are. We’re glad we found you,” Donghae smiles, pleasant and friendly.

Right as Donghae finishes talking, the elevator dings, and someone Kyuhyun doesn’t see arrives on the floor. As they approach him and Donghae, Kyuhyun sees that it’s a small, young-looking man with slightly curly bleached hair. He recognises the face from the executives board, but can’t quite remember who it was...

“Hello, Donghae-hyung. This is Kyuhyun-ssi, yes? My name is Ryeowook, Head of Operations. Pleasure to meet you,” the man introduces in a clear and confident voice. Kyuhyun stands up, bows a bit, and shakes his hand with a “nice to meet you”. Ryeowook is quite a bit shorter than Kyuhyun, but, despite his size, radiates power and an aura that distinctly says “do not mess with me”.

“I heard we finally found someone to manage IT. There’s a lot to do for you, isn’t there, Kyuhyun-ssi? Our sincere apologies,” Ryeowook laughs. His laugh is as clear as his voice and as powerful as his person. It makes Kyuhyun want to laugh along as well, so he does a bit.

“There really is,” Kyuhyun sighs. “Do you honestly not have anyone with any idea about...computing basics?,” he asks, prompting more laughter from Ryeowook while Donghae just stares on, bewildered and slightly guilty.

“Well, we have you now,” Ryeowook pats Kyuhyun on the back. He looks at Donghae, expression immediately turning serious. “Donghae, I have to talk to you. I’ll see you around, Kyuhyun-ssi,” he smiles a bit at Kyuhyun before quickly leaving, Donghae in tow. Donghae looks...scared. It’s nothing, Kyuhyun thinks, and gets back to his mounds of work owing to 14th Street’s entire everything-related-to-tech being a hot mess. Good thing the pay really  _ is _ good. He might even be able to afford a fancy suit like Jungsoo someday. 

“Hey, do you think Donghae’s in trouble?,”

Kyuhyun whips around at the whisper coming from behind him.

“I don’t know, I can’t tell…”

Holding back his curiosity, Kyuhyun remains where he is, deciding not to indulge in company gossip on his second week in.

“Ryeowook’s ruthless… Let’s hope it’s nothing big.”

“Better get back to work if you don’t want trouble yourself.”

Ryeowook? He certainly seemed serious, and obviously has quite a bit of influence, but the whispers sound...fearful. Donghae also looked a bit frightened when he was called. From what Kyuhyun’s gathered, nothing much ever really happens at 14th Street. It’s a very mundane, relatively pointless business, like all those others. No big plans of expansion, no intense rivalries, not too ambitious in terms of profit, either. It didn’t seem likely that anyone would get in trouble, especially not Donghae, considering he seems to perform his job well. All the employees look quite comfortable here and efficiency is quite good, after all. Ah, well, it’s none of his business.

He doesn’t see Donghae for the rest of the week.


	3. Chapter 3

The Monday of the week after Donghae’s disappearance, the office gets another visit, this time from Finance. 

Around the time Donghae usually arrives, the elevator opens to reveal a thin, spectacled man with...neon green hair. Upon closer inspection, Kyuhyun realises his glasses are fake and lenseless. There’s a bit of a swagger in his walk.  _ This should be fun _ , Kyuhyun thinks.

After looking around a bit, Mr. Neon spots Kyuhyun and walks over to his desk.

“Hey, you’re the new IT guy, right? I’m Hyukjae, in charge of Finance. Good to have you,” he greets.

“Nice to meet you, Hyukjae-ssi. Is there anything you need from me?,” Kyuhyun stands up and asks, slightly on edge from the last time a non-Donghae executive visited. He pauses. His curiosity gets the better of him.

“Say, Hyukjae-ssi, I don’t mean to pry, but...where’s Donghae-ssi been? He used to come every day,” Kyuhyun decides to ask, against all better judgement. Hyukjae seems friendly and laid back enough, which is why… 

He immediately regrets it when Hyukjae quickly loses his casual demeanor, becoming guarded as worry takes hold in his eyes.

“He has some business to attend to, is all. He’ll be back before you know it. Don’t worry about it,” he says unconvincingly, forcing a smile through clenched teeth. Considering just how suspicious that is, Kyuhyun decides to press a bit further. It would be stupid for them to fire him over something as small as this, especially since he’s the only one here who can perform his job. 

“Does it have anything to do with Ryeowook-ssi?,” Kyuhyun says, taking a step forward. Hyukjae’s hand immediately shoots out to take his wrist in a too-firm grip, clearly warning him not to push any more. Completely contrary to the easy-going aura from earlier, Hyukjae’s eyes say danger.

“Kyuhyun-ssi, listen to me,” he loosens his grip on Kyuhyun a bit. He lowers his voice, “I understand your curiosity, but my advice is that you don’t pry too much. Just focus on your work. Stay out of whatever else may happen, or you think is happening. We don’t want anything to turn out badly for you. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Kyuhyun says, voice trembling a bit. He slowly extracts his arm from Hyukjae, not breaking eye contact until he sits back down. Hyukjae relaxes a bit.

“It’s best that you only think about your job. Like I said before, don’t worry about Donghae, alright? He’s fine,” Hyukjae says, gentler this time.

“Alright,” Kyuhyun nods. “I’ll be getting back to this, then,” he says, gesturing to his computer.

“That would be best,” Hyukjae says. “See you.”

With that, Hyukjae is gone. 

Just like he said, Donghae is back the next day as if he never left.


	4. Chapter 4

Kyuhyun now knows better than to confront an executive about his concerns. He decides to start his investigation with the resources already at his disposal: IT records.

Being the sole manager of the IT department, he gets access to everyone’s traffic. All their searches and websites retrieved from the net are displayed somewhat neatly on his screen, and a few… questionable data points popped up. He hasn’t ventured much into the illegal side of the web himself, but he can recognise some unusual strands here and there that trace back to one of the computers in the office. What business does an office worker have with such strange transactions? And it wasn’t out of the blue, either - these packets were periodical. 

These computers happen to be the ones that Kyuhyun just linked up from the exec’s offices earlier, and they all link to some accounts he can’t access, when he can usually access anything he wanted to related to the company. Well, this would be a security concern, then, wouldn’t it? It seems like a suspicious, potentially dangerous, interference on the company’s cash flow. He really should bring this up to management. It would make the most sense to go to Finance, but...he’s basically doing exactly what Hyukjae specifically told him not to do, so that wouldn’t be very wise.

Without any other options, Kyuhyun decides to take the lift down to the ground floor. The moment the doors open, he hears rapid clicks immediately seize, followed by two consecutive, slightly louder, keys. Oh, Changmin.

“Changmin, can I talk to you for a sec?,” Kyuhyun strolls up and casually takes a seat beside Changmin behind the counter.

“Oh, it’s just you,” Changmin sighs regretfully. “Yeah, sure, what’s up?”

Kyuhyun relays his findings and concerns to his now-friend, and when he finishes, is met with a face-full of concern. Pursing his lips, Changmin says,

“Okay, Kyuhyun, I’m glad you told me. I’ll let management know as soon as possible. I’ll make sure it gets dealt with. Thanks,” he says. Kyuhyun feels some of his worry alleviated at Changmin’s reassurance, and thanks him as he stands up to return upstairs. Kyuhyun settled back into his desk and resumes his normal work, temporarily forgetting about the dodgy data as he turns his full attention to his assignments.

That is, until he receives an email from the CEO not too long later.

_ Dear Kyuhyun, _

_ I have been informed that you have identified some suspicious activity within our servers. I find this concerning due to its potential to be significantly detrimental to 14th Street. Because of this, I would appreciate if you could come to my office on the 3rd floor first thing when you come in tomorrow. Thank you. _

_ Regards, _

_ Choi Siwon _

_ CEO _


	5. Chapter 5

“Welcome, please have a seat,” 

CEO Siwon is tall, handsome, and well-built. He’s also quite a bit of a gentleman, Kyuhyun thinks. He was understandably nervous coming to work this morning, but it turns out the CEO is very pleasant.

At Siwon’s friendly gesture and after the customary handshake, Kyuhyun sits down in the chair in front of the large mahogany desk. Siwon takes his own seat, leaning forward and resting his entwined hands on the desk.

“As I said in the email, Changmin told me about the suspicious activity you found on our servers. Can you clarify for me what it is you found?,” Siwon asks none-too-seriously. Kyuhyun tells him, and Siwon appears to cling onto every word, nodding along and giving Kyuhyun his undivided attention. When Kyuhyun finishes, Siwon slowly takes a glass of water, then sits up straight in his chair.

“Kyuhyun-ssi, especially considering you’ve only just arrived, I am very impressed - and greatly appreciative - that you have done so much work already. It’s also very good that you immediately took the initiative to report this information.”

Siwon smiles.

“However, I can assure you, there is nothing to worry about. The truth is, I already knew about these transactions. It’s simply part of a system of ours that we use to help us with some external activity. The reason you couldn’t access it is because these accounts are limited to myself and the people directly under me. They contain sensitive information that would be very bad for competition, you see,” he calmly explains. As much as the information is still somewhat questionable, Kyuhyun feels less inclined to question it due to Siwon’s gentle, confident demeanor. He wants to trust the CEO.

“That’s good, then, if that’s the case,” Kyuhyun says. “But...if it’s that simple,... is there another reason you needed me to come see you?,” he asks, pensive.

“I’m glad you asked,” Siwon says, and Kyuhyun is now reminded of his am-I-in-trouble fear when he woke up this morning. He takes a deep breath, trying not to appear too shaken.

“Kyuhyun-ssi, I believe Hyukjae-ssi talked to you about this already, but it really would be best if you refrain from...digging around like this, from now on. You’re not in trouble, so don’t worry, but I might not be able to say the same if you do something similar in the future. For our sake, but most of all, for your own, I request that you only focus on your job as IT and nothing else. Am I understood?,” Siwon says. His tone is the same - comforting and easy-going. But his words are serious.

“Yes, I understand. I’m sorry,” Kyuhyun says politely. Siwon smiles and nods.

“Very well, then. I’ll let you get back to work, now. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a warmer welcome, but we really are very happy to have you,” Siwon says as he stands up and leads Kyuhyun to the door, opening it for him. Kyuhyun bows, utters a quick “thank you, have a nice day,” and goes back to his place downstairs.

On the way back, Kyuhyun does feel the shame of having been reprimanded by a senior, but not as terribly as usual. Siwon made his demands clear, but it was also obvious that he didn’t mind too much, as long as Kyuhyun doesn’t mess up again. Like was requested of him, Kyuhyun goes back to his endless world of IT, deciding to finally take Hyukjae’s advice.

Not too long after Kyuhyun leaves, the door of Siwon’s office opens again and Ryeowook steps in. He didn’t knock.

“You were too nice. You always are,” Ryeowook says. His face is expressionless, his eyes as icy as his biting words. Siwon sucks in a deep breath and feels his heart constrict with fear.

“He’s only just arrived, Ryeowook, and it’s alright to be curious. I did firmly tell him not to do it again, didn’t I?,” he says, sighing and and not looking up at Ryeowook.

“Siwon,” Ryeowook says, and his voice is louder and even sterner this time. Two hands practically slam on Siwon’s desk and he finally looks up to meet two deep, black eyes that burn into his very soul.

“You can see it yourself, Siwon,” Ryeowook lowers his voice, but not one bit the intensity. “Kyuhyun is a spirited kid. You’re right, he _ is _ curious, but he’s going to act on that curiosity - much more than we would like, unless we _ properly _ deal with him. You can’t just _ nicely _ask him to stop.”

Siwon gulps. He would try to make it less obvious, but he damn well knows there’s no point.

“Ryeowook, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare him,” Siwon says. Ryeowook snatches his arm in one swift motion, fingers digging into the coat’s expensive fabric.

“You really _ are _ too nice. He won’t be very happy about this,” Ryeowook hisses. He releases Siwon and turns around, walking away. He pauses right before the door.

“Next time, Kyuhyun isn’t going to you,” Ryeowook says, and Siwon’s entire being rumbles with the force of his anger. 

Without a sound, Ryeowook slips out of the office and closes the door. Siwon is left slumping down in his chair, head buried in his hands as he wonders just what is going to happen to him later, when the day is gone


	6. Chapter 6

_ Beep beep _

“Hey, there, sunshine,” Ryeowook greets, chuckling at the displeased grunt from the other end.

“Alright, sorry, I’ll save the playing for later. I’m coming over but calling to give you a heads up,” Ryeowook says, serious now. His eyebrows furrow with annoyance as he recalls what it is he has to say. He sighs.

“Siwon messed up,” Ryeowook says, waving down the white limousine that just appeared around the corner. He gets in. There’s a screen between the front and back so the driver can’t see or hear him.

“I know you don’t mind his niceness as much as I do, sweetheart, but it just doesn’t work. Kyuhyun’s gonna keep poking around, no doubt about it,” Ryeowook says, leaning back in his seat as the car starts moving again. He smirks a bit at the grunt elicited from the pet name. There’s a silence on the line.

“Do you know how you’re gonna deal with him? Siwon, I mean. I can handle Kyuhyun,” Ryeowook says, lowering his voice. “Okay. Just wanted to let you know.”

Ryeowook smiles.

“Yup, I’ll tell you more when I get there. See you in a bit,”

He ends the call and puts the phone back in his pocket. As irritating as the day has been, it’s about to get just a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is Swing!, folks. To be continued in next work...

**Author's Note:**

> Happy anniversary, my kings! TT 14 years and FIGHTING
> 
> @pinklittlecloud on twitter
> 
> Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, much appreciated. Thank you for reading!


End file.
